Kamen Rider Garnet
by GaeaChronos
Summary: The moment Weiss Schnee wasn't selected as team leader, she knew Beacon wouldn't be what she expected. But she definitely didn't expect it to be THIS different. (AU. Slight XOver. Might be continued, so will be marked as 'complete' for now)
1. chapter 1

**Hey, guys, GaeaChronos here. So, remember that idea I had a while back? I decided to turn it into a whole fic, but this time, I'll remove any of the KR Build elements, and just turn it into a straight-up Kamen Rider AU with a male Ruby as a protagonist.**

**And so, I present to you: 'Kamen Rider Garnet' aka: 'The WhiteRose Kamen Rider AU that literally no one asked for'!!!**

**Chapter 1**

It was around 8PM in the city of Vale, and Weiss Schnee was enjoying a latte from the local cafe. She was currently deep in thought about a certain thing. A person. Her newly-assigned team leader, Ruben Rose, to be exact.

Admittedly, she was still upset that she wasn't chosen to be the team leader, but after a talk with Professor Port, she was a little less upset. Right now, she was just stalling for time, though she knew that she would have to go back and talk with Ruben sooner or later.

"Well, I better get this over with." she sighed, and stood up to leave.

As she made her way to the docks, she received a message from her team leader:

**"Hey Weiss. Where are you? It's getting pretty late. You could get in trouble with Goodwitch."**

"That dolt..." she muttered. Somehow, she didn't see it past him to still worry about someone despite that certain someone practically hurting his pride.

Once again, she was reminded that she would have to apologize for her words earlier. Quickly, she sent a reply:

**"I'm on my way back. Don't worry."**

As she sent her message, she bumped into something, knocking her to the ground.

As she looked up, her eyes widened in shock.

Whatever she bumped into, it clearly wasn't human.

It looked like a Beowolf, if it were compressed to fit a human-sized skeleton.

It growled at her as she stood up. Looking around, she saw that everyone had evacuated the area, except for a few who had decided that taking out their scrolls and take photos or videos would be a brilliant idea.

I must have been distracted by Ruben's messages, she thought. But that still doesn't explain how it got here. Judging by how people are reacting here, it must not have been here long.

The Grimm-like creature lunged at her while she was thinking. Luckily, Weiss was able to raise a glyph in time to protect herself from the creature. It crashed into the glyph at full force, disorienting it, but not enough to do any major damage.

Whatever this is, it's tough, the heiress thought. It will probably take a few hits to actually hurt this thing...

She leapt a good distance away from the creature as she took out her scroll, and tapped a few icons.

"Alright. That should take a couple minutes..." she muttered while taking a defensive stance. All she has to do is hold out until her locker gets here. If she's lucky, her teammates might go look for her if she's gone too long.

Then, without warning, the creature lunged at her, claws out. As quick as she could, she set a glyph at her feet, launching her to the side just as it was getting too close. The creature, unable to react in time, ran straight into a nearby lamp post, sending it crashing down. This time it took less time to recover from the blow and lunged again at Weiss.

This time, Weiss was prepared. A glyph was already set as it lunged towards her. This time, it sent the creature bouncing back. As it did, she set another glyph behind it, causing it to ricochet off of it. She repeated this until the creature was trapped in a set of glyphs bouncing it back and forth in a circle.

As Weiss kept her glyphs up, she saw her locker land a few feet ahead. Making sure to keep her glyphs up, she made her way to the locker, and took out Myrtenaster from it.

"Alright, better finish this." she declared as she took on her stance.

She prepared a set of glyphs going straight for the creature.

The moment I take the glyphs out, that's the time I attack! she thought. I'll have to end this as quickly as possible.

Heating her rapier with fire Dust, she narrowed her eyes, waiting for the right time to strike.

And...

**Now!!!**

She lunged, aiming for where the heart would be.

Myrtenaster, thanks to the additional speed granted by the glyphs, went through its body like butter. With the intense heat of fire Dust, it should be enough to-

Then, Weiss was sent flying with a punch from the creature.

Groaning, she slowly rose to her feet, trying to regain her bearings.

What happened? she thought. My attack should've hit it! It should be dead by now. Myrtenaster-

She looked around for her weapon, her eyes widening upon finding it still lodged in the creature's chest, the blade still carrying a faint glow from the fire Dust, but it wasn't doing any harm to it. It was still glowing with intense heat, but it wasn't doing anything to the creature, or if it was, it's not reacting to it.

"Dust... doesn't work on it...?"

That was impossible! There have been no records of _any_ type of Grimm showing any sort of immunity from Dust, so how?!

Calmly, the creature began to make its slow walk towards her.

Is this for real?!

She brought Myrtenaster back with a glyph, and sent out a wave of ice, freezing it in place.

Weiss used the moment to try and calm herself, but held her stance.

As she expected, it pulled its leg free of the ice and once again lunged towards the heiress.

Weiss raised another glyph, but to her surprise, the creature jumped up, past the glyph and continuing towards her. She raised another one, but this time it skidded around the glyph and used the momentum to tackle Weiss, hitting her square in her left side, knocking Myrtenaster from her hands.

The impact sent her rolling across the ground. Shaking her head, Weiss saw the creature once again slowly walking towards her.

It was getting closer. Weiss backed off a few feet, bumping into a nearby bench. She closed her eyes, waiting for the finishing strike.

Not like this...!

As it reached towards her, a hand grabbed it and pulled the creature away from her.

"Oh-kaaaay, that's close enough." a new voice entered.

Weiss opened her eyes to find her team leader handing Myrtenaster back to her.

"Hey, you okay, Weiss?" he asked, concern evident on his face.

"Ruben...?"

Slowly, she took her weapon and stood back up, Ruben supporting her when she stumbled.

"H... How did you get here...?" she asked. Whatever that creature did to her, it _hurt_.

"I came to pick you up, just in case you'd miss the last Bullhead back to Beacon." he answered, studying his surroundings, and then focusing on the creature, who was currently dizzy. "And judging from your situation, I got here just in the nick of time." he finished, pulling out a small device from his pocket.

The device was rectangular, red with silver accents, and looked like it would open up from the middle.

"Wait. What are you gonna do...?" she asked. If that creature winded her this badly with a single blow, then what can he do against it?

"I'll be fine. Everyone already ran away." he assured placing the strange device on his waist, surprising the heiress when a strap came out of nowhere securing the device to his waist, turning it into a sort of buckle.

**'Aura Driver...'** the device chimed.

The creature watched Ruben warily once it regained its bearings, keeping a low stance, ready to strike.

He flicked a small switch on the buckle, opening it, revealing a small round green crystal blinking with energy.

**'Aura Charge...!' **the device announced.

The creature then lunged at Ruben, claws out.

As for him, he struck a pose the moment he hit the switch, keeping his eyes on the creature as it charged.

"Henshin!" he exclaimed the moment the claws were supposed to make contact with him. Then he was enveloped in a burst of silver light, sending the creature flying back.

The energy pulsed as it solidified around him, taking the shape of a suit.

As the light dissipated, it revealed a black undersuit with white and silver accents, crimson red armor adorning his body, and a pair of bright green compound eyes.

**'Mighty Burst!!!' **the device announced.

Weiss could only stare in shock at her partner's apparent transformation.

Since when was he able to do this?!

"Alright. Bring it!" the transformed Ruben declared, taunting the creature.

It charged towards him again, much angrier than earlier. It raised its right claw to swipe at him, only to be caught by his hand. Then, Ruben used his free hand to land a punch into the creature's gut, sending it flying with a burst of red energy.

"Whoa..." Weiss breathed out. The creature was basically at her partner's mercy.

As the creature attempted to regain its bearings, Ruben ran towards it and gave a kick to its side, sending it rolling off.

As it attempted to regain its balance a second time, Crescent Rose was deployed in its rifle mode. Ruben then proceeded to remove his buckle, and replaced the magazine with it.

**'Target : Lock!'**, it announced.

Then, Crescent Rose began to charge with red energy. He took aim, and fired towards the creature.

The round fired, when it hit, scattered, and turned into Ruben's emblem, a burning rose, and immobilized the creature.

Ruben replaced the buckle back into his waist, and hit the switch once more.

**'Finishing Strike!'**, the buckle chimed.

"Let's end this here!" he declared before jumping into the air, and getting into a kicking position, his right foot charging with red energy as he descended towards the creature.

**'Aura Burst!'**, it announced as Ruben's foot made contact with the creature, the energy proving too much as it exploded with a dying scream.

As he landed, he looked around the area.

"Hmm... Looks like the only one today, huh..."

He was caught off guard by his partner grabbing him by the collar and glaring at him.

"Explain." was the only word she said.

"Umm... That may... take a while...?"

Weiss then looked at her scroll to check the time, seeing it was 8:26.

"There's a while before the next bullhead arrives."

Ruben could only laugh nervously.

How _do_ I explain this...?

**And that's about it! It's not much, but I just needed to get some stuff out of my head to work on other stories. Not sure if I might continue this, but who knows.**

**GaeaChronos is out. Peace!**


	2. chapter 2

**Hey, guys, GaeaChronos here with the second chapter of Kamen Rider Garnet! **

**Thanks for the reviews, all are appreciated. And with that said, on with the chapter!**

**Chapter 2**

Ruben Rose was nervous.

He accidentally let out a big secret, which even his sister doesn't know, to his partner. Now, she's looking for an explanation on what had just happened.

Fortunately, he managed to convince her to wait until they got back to Beacon. Chewing on his lip nervously, he turned to the girl in question, who was currently on her scroll.

They were currently on the bullhead back to Beacon. There wasn't much people, but he still wanted to be safe.

He tried to distract himself with his scroll, looking at random videos here and there. It worked for a few minutes, until Weiss decided to break the silence.

"So," she started "I've been looking around the web, and there doesn't seem to be any photo or video footage of you fighting those things. Sure, there are several forums about encounters, but there's no photos or videos to back them up."

"Oh." he answered. Maybe I can tell her a bit, just not all, he thought.

"That's actually the Aura Driver's doing." he tapped the device, currently in his pocket. "Once worn, it sends out frequencies that mess with other electronic devices within a certain radius. It only turns it off once it's taken off my waist."

That statement surprised the heiress.

"How does it do that?"

Ruben just shrugged, confusing the heiress even more.

"You don't know?"

"Nope." he said, popping the 'P'.

"How could you not know how your own creation works?" she asked incredulously.

"I _didn't _make this."

"Huh?"

"It's... sort of a hand-me-down." he answered, his face growing solemn.

"O-Oh." Noticing the change in his expression, Weiss decided to leave it at that.

The rest of the ride was at this awkward silence until the bullhead had landed at Beacon.

Once the two had gotten off, Ruben made a stop at one of the vending machines, getting himself a soda.

"Want one? My treat."

"I'm good. I just had a latte earlier."

He shrugged and drank the soda. Well, 'drank' might be putting it lightly. He was chugging it as if his life depended on it, as his partner watched on, her expression growing more horrified as he kept chugging without a break. Tears were already spilling from his eyes as he continued to empty the carbonated beverage.

"What are you doing?!" she screeched, wrenching the can from his hand, making sure not to spill.

"Hey, what gives?! I was about to beat my personal record!" he asked once he regained his breath.

"I don't care about your 'personal record'! You'll get yourself killed!"

"Heh. 'Death by soda'. What a way to die, then." he chuckled.

"Ruben, that wasn't funny!"

"Alright, alright, sorry. Don't be such a worrywart. Jeez."

"You can't die just yet."

"Aww, you _do_ ca-"

"You still owe me an explanation."

Ruben slumped.

"I was hoping that would take your mind off that."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, for a second, it _did_."

Ruben sighed.

"Alright. But not here. Let's head back to the dorm, okay?"

Weiss nodded, and they walked back to the dorms.

The walk was relatively silent, until Ruben decided to speak up.

"Hey, Weiss. Can I have my soda back?"

"You're _not_ weaseling your way out of this one."

"I _won't_. Just let me finish it. There's barely a third left."

The white haired girl looked at the canned beverage in her hand, and sighed.

"Fine. But the moment you start chugging it, I'll freeze it to your hand and lips." she threatened, handing him the can.

"Did I really scare you _that_ much? I did that a lot back at home." he chuckled before finishing the soda, and tossing the can into a nearby bin.

"Well, right now, you're _not_ at home."

"Got me there."

"Now, come on, let's hurry."

The two proceeded to walk back to their dorm room, making sure not to wake anyone who is asleep. Upon stopping at their door, Ruben spoke up.

"Okay, here's the plan. I'll go in first, check if they're still awake, and if they are, we wait for them to fall asleep, and go inside the bathroom."

"Wait. The _bathroom_?!" Weiss whisper-yelled.

"Last I checked, it was soundproof."

"How do you know?"

"Yang _always_ sings in the shower."

She still didn't look convinced.

"Look. We go to the bathroom and you can ask me _anything_ regarding what happened. Deal?"

The heiress mulled over her decision, before nodding.

"Fine. But you better not be needing to use it when you get there."

"Scout's honor." he saluted.

"You were with the scouts?"

"Nope. Just thought it'd be cool to say."

"Just... open the door."

Ruben slowly opened the door to find both teammates fast asleep. Signalling his partner, they both carefully snuck their way into the bathroom.

"Alright. Spill." Weiss said after her partner locked the door.

"Okay. Where to start...?" he wondered aloud.

"How about with what that thing was, and why was it immune to Dust?"

"Ah. Well, you see, we don't really have an official name for them, but Uncle Qrow referred to them as, 'Unique Grimm', or 'Uniques' for short."

"That's creative."

"Hey, _you_ think of something better if you're so good at it. That's what he called them to generalize them since there's more than one type of Unique."

"There's more?!"

"Yeah. And each is stronger than the one from earlier. You were lucky to run into a Beowolf Unique, they're not as strong as the others."

"And are _all _of them immune to Dust?!"

"Yep. Only Aura can deliver lasting damage to a Unique."

"But, doesn't Dust require Aura to work? It should at least hurt them a little."

"Think of it like this: What happens if you put syrup into water?"

"The water sweetens."

"Yes. But what about the syrup? What happens to its consistency?"

"It gets diluted, and dissolves in the water." Weiss's eyes widened upon realizing.

"Exactly. Think of the syrup as your Aura, and the water as Dust. Yes, your Aura gets infused into the Dust, but it loses its potency, thus not dealing as much damage as intended if you were to hit it with a blow infused with the same amount of Aura."

"But, what's the Aura Driver for? From what you've told me, Aura is really all that's needed to take down Uniques."

"The Aura Driver allows me better access to my Aura, all while enhancing each attack I make. It basically makes better use of my Aura in combat.

Anything else?"

The heiress thought about what else she could ask, looking down. Her serious expression suddenly growing pale at the sight of the unholy terror that was crawling by her feet.

She was thankful for the soundproofed bathrooms, or else the entire building might have heard her scream into the night.

"Whoa, Weiss, what's wrong?" Ruben asked his partner.

Weiss, who was now currently clinging on to her partner for dear life, pointed to the monstrosity on the floor.

"Oh." was all he could say.

What else could he say?

"That's one big centipede."

"I don't care what it is, just kill it!"

"Are you mad? Dead centipedes attract _more_ centipedes!"

"Just kill it!" she cried, desperately reaching for the door, succeeding in unlocking it.

"Weiss, I can't really do anything if you keep squirming!"

"Why don't you transform!"

"Wha-?!"

"Come on! That might kill it without a trace!"

"Weiss, you're overreacting-"

"Just do it, come on!" she yelled, reaching for his jacket pocket.

"Hey, quit it!" Ruben cried out, trying to pry her hands off of him.

Weiss suddenly froze, and screamed again, and for good reason.

The centipede was crawling up her boot.

The heiress flailed like mad, flinging the creature off her leg, and into the bathtub, the startled bug crawling away into the shower drain.

"Okay, Weiss, it's gone. You can-"

"I'M NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES!"

With that, she proceeded to open the door. But, Ruben was still by the door. So when it was opened, the young leader lost his balance, tripping Weiss in the process.

_**THUD!**_

The two partners landed a pile of tangled limbs, with the heiress lying on top of her partner.

"Hey, would you keep it-"

The two looked up to find an exhausted Yang and Blake looking at them with wide eyes.

"Umm..." Ruben trailed off.

"Don't. Just... don't." his sister cut off. "I'm too sleepy to deal with this. Just... don't forget to pull out, okay, Rubes?"

Yang then proceeded to make her way back to her bed.

Blake pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Look, guys. We'll deal with this in the morning, just keep it down, okay?"

Both partners blushed at the implication.

"Th-that's not-"

"We weren't-"

"I-I mean-"

"This is-"

**"It's not what it looks like!" **both exclaimed.

"Sure, sure." came Yang's half-asleep response.

**And that's about it. About the centipede thing, that happened to me a while back, so yeah, that's what inspired that. Anyway, this os basically just a bit of an info dump, and with added shenanigans. I'm trying to focus a bit on the humor, hope I succeeded.**

**GaeaChronos is out. Peace!**


	3. chapter 3

**Hey, guys, GaeaChronos here with Chapter 3 of Kamen Rider Garnet!**

**Don't really have much to say, so let's get on with it!**

**Chapter ****3**

Ruben woke to the sound of his scroll's alarm by his pillow.

Yawning, he reached for it and turned the alarm off. Getting off his bed, he did a few stretches, and unplugged his scroll's charger.

Normally, Yang would scold him about the dangers of leaving his gadgets plugged in, but he just tends to forget.

After a quick shower, he changed into his school uniform, not forgetting to put his red jacket on top of it.

The jacket was given to him by Qrow, as congratulations for completing Crescent Rose. He used to wear a different jacket, given to him by his mother, which he still holds on to this very day despite growing out of it for more than five years.

Reaching inside his pillow, he takes out the Aura Driver, and puts it inside his uniform's pocket.

Upon turning around, he is met with the wide lilac eyes of his sister.

"Umm... Yang...?"

"How was it?"

"How was what?"

"You know..." Yang trailed off, nudging her brother with her elbow, waggling her eyebrows at him.

"No, I _don't _know." he deadpanned. Seriously, what is up with her today?

"You know, the Ice Queen! How'd you go about it last night, huh? Y'know, when you popped her cherry!"

Ruben' eyes widened, a blush forming on his face.

"I-It's nothing like that!"

"Nothing like what?"

"I didn't, 'pop her cherry', as you'd call it." he insisted, making air quotes.

Yang gasped dramatically.

"You mean she already...?!"

"That was not what I meant and you know it!"

"Come ooooon! At least tell me about it! Weiss wasn't saying anything!"

"Nothing happened last night! And even if it _did_ happen, do I look like I'd tell you something that sensitive?!"

Yang pouted.

"Fine. I didn't wanna have to do this, but if you don't tell me, I'll tell Weiss and Blake about Mr. Fluffles!"

Ruben grew pale at his sister's threat. She'd seriously go that far?!

"You wouldn't dare."

"Come on, Rubes! I just wanna know if she's treating you right!"

"Wait. Isn't that supposed to be the othet way around?"

"You're younger, so..." she stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yang, _nothing happened_ last night. Seriously."

"Aww, but she was all over you last night!"

"That's because a centipede crawled up her leg last night. A pretty big one too, now that I think about it."

The blonde shuddered. She can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to have something with _that_ many legs crawl over her. But, wait...

"Why were you in the bathroom with her?"

"Uhh... well... that's..."

"Aha! I knew it!"

"Yang, no!"

"You must've been making out in there, and the centipede scared you guys out of the bathroom!"

"It was _nothing _like that! We just talked!"

"About what?"

"Things!"

"What kind of things?"

"The kind that would make you feel uncomfortable if said aloud, like haircuts, split ends, dandruff-"

"Stop! Not those horrible things!"

"-lice-"

"Nope! Not hearing it!"

The door opened to reveal Blake walking into the room.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Ruben sighed in relief. "Blake, help me out here!"

"Help you out with what, exactly?"

"Get Yang off my back! She won't stop bugging me about last night!"

"Only because you won't tell me what happened last night!"

Blake sighed.

"Yang, knock it off. I'm pretty sure nothing happened last night."

"But, how can you be sure?"

"Yang, we were _in the same room_ last night. I'm pretty sure we would have noticed." the black haired girl deadpanned.

"But..." the blonde crossed her arms, deep in thought. Then, her face lit up in realization.

"Ohh!"

"Finally," Ruben breathed out "thanks, Blake-"

"We killed the moment for you last night, didn't we?"

"... Oh, dear Lord, no..." he facepalmed. She _completely_ misunderstood.

"Well, you won't have to worry about _tonight_, Rubes!" his sister assured "We'll make sure to get back _extra_ late." she winked as she exited the room. Right as she did, Ruben buried his face in his hands and groaned in frustration.

"This was worse than the time a girl gave me Valentine chocolates back at Signal."

"Why? What happened?" Blake tilted her head curiously.

"She wouldn't stop bugging me about asking her out. Even though the girl made it clear they were just, 'for a friend.'" he said, making air quotes.

"That wasn't so bad."

"Why do you think I said this was worse? She _totally_ thinks me and Weiss are doing it."

"Aren't you?"

"Blake, come on-" he looked up to find his teammate looking at him with a playful smirk.

"Oh, ha ha, Blake. Very funny. I'll see you at breakfast."

And with that, he made his way out of the room.

After a walk to the cafeteria, and ordering his food, he made his way to the tables, finding his partner sitting at one of them along with his sister and Team JNPR.

"Morning, guys." he greeted, sitting beside Weiss as everyone greeted back.

"It's 'Weiss and I', by the way." the heiress commented offhandedly as she ate.

"Uhh... What?" he tilted his head in confusion.

"I had a feeling you said 'me and Weiss' a few minutes ago."

"How... did...?"

"I just _know_, okay?"

"Oooo...kay...?" he began to eat his breakfast. It was rather uneventful, with the occasional over the top story from Nora, with Ren correcting her. A few minutes later, Blake joined in, seated beside her partner.

Ruben just listened along, enjoying his omelette, until a part of Nora's story caught his attention.

"... And then, there was this weird Grimm that showed up! It was, like, scary strong! My grenades couldn't do _anything_ to it! Only when I hit it with my hammer, _then_ it started to get hurt!"

Ruben looked at his partner, who was also listening to the story with wide eyes.

Ren, to everyone's surprise, didn't correct his partner. In fact, he even added to it.

"It was quite a battle," he began "it seemed that any sort of conventional weaponry wasn't doing much against it." to which Nora nodded.

"Yeah! And it _hurt_. Like, one punch sent us _both_ flying! But, of course, we won't back down that easily! I jumped at it, sending my hammer down on it, but it caught it.

But, that was part of our plan! With both arms occupied, Ren dashed in, and used his ninja moves-"

"I used my Aura." Ren cut in.

"-And _blew_ that thing's arm off! And then I thought: 'Yes! We can do this!' but that thing was kind of a butt, so it charged at us. Ren got knocked out the moment he got hit-"

"I tried to block it, because it was charging too fast, but I miscalculated how much power was behind that tackle, so I was sent flying to a wall. I wasn't knocked out, but I was definitely disoriented."

"Yeah! And when he got hit, I was like: 'How dare you touch my man?!' and slammed my hammer down on it! But it caught me, and threw me so hard that I was seeing stars when I landed.

And then...

_He_ came in."

"He?" Yang asked. The rest of the table was now intent on hearing the end of the story.

"Our savior! An armored hero, clad in brilliant red armor!" Nora gushed.

"Oh! You guys ran into 'The Red Warrior'?" Jaune asked.

Nora nodded enthusiastically.

"Red Warrior?" Ruben asked. Can't they come up with a _better_ name?! That's freaking generic!

"Yeah." Team JNPR's leader nodded. "He's this vigilante that's all over the net lately. No one's been able to get him in a photo or video once, because whenever he's around, any electronic device shuts off, so the only way to know about him is through word of mouth.

Anyway, Nora, continue."

"Okay! So, where was I? Oh, yeah! So there he was, standing heroically, and asked us: 'Are you okay?' then helped us up. He looked at the monster's severed arm, and was like: 'Wow. Good job weakening it. But you can leave this to me, now." then, he charged at it and kicked it in the gut!

The weird Grimm was sent flying, but he wasn't done yet! He just kept beating it around for several minutes, almost like he was playing with it, and then punched it in the face! By that time, he must've gotten bored with it, so he jumped in the air, and gave it a flying kick so intense it _blew up_ on the spot!

Really wished we could thank him for it, but he ran off as soon as he made sure it was dead."

Then as if on cue, the bell rang.

The two teams rushed to their first class in a panic.

The rest of the day went on as normal. There were a few minor inconveniences, like Team CRDL messing with Ruben and Jaune, but nothing too major.

By the time their last period ended, Jaune decided it was a good idea to try and ask Weiss out.

"So, Weiss," he started "There's this new cafe that opened in Vale, and I was kinda hoping that you might like checking it out with me."

Weiss was about to turn him down, when Ruben cut in.

"Hey, Weiss!" he greeted. "Blake and Yang saw this new cafe that opened in Vale, wanna come with?"

Weiss turned to her partner, and nodded.

"Sure. That sounds nice. Let's get changed out of our uniforms first."

The two then made their way back to their dorm room, leaving Jaune behind.

As the two walked, Weiss noticed that her partner is kind of tense. She looked at him as he sent a text to his sister. He almost seemed... upset.

When they got into the dorm room, Weiss asked:

"Ruben, is there something wrong? You seemed kind of tense."

Ruben flinched, clearly he wasn't aware that he wasn't being subtle.

"It's just..." he sighed, then ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "_'Red Warrior'?! Red Warrior'?! _Really?! That's the most generic name the internet could think of, and _that's _what they call me?!"

Weiss was caught off guard. _That's _why he was upset?! It was almost laughable, that that was what's worrying him. It was kind of adorable, really.

But she would never say that in front of him.

"This is coming from the guy who calls his enemies 'Uniques'!" she laughed.

"It's _not_ funny!"

"Come on, _Red Warrior._ We don't wanna miss the next bullhead now, do we?" she teased, making him growl out in frustration.

"I _hat__e_ you guys right now. I'm going to think of a better name for myself when I go out on patrol later." he said, grabbing a change of clothes.

"You're going out fighting again tonight?"

"Yeah. I do that _every_ night."

"Shouldn't you rest at least for one day?"

"Not when there are Uniques around every corner."

That _can't_ be healthy.

"Come on, Weiss. You can change in the bathroom, I'm sure there's no centipede there now."

"You're never gonna live that down, are you?"

"Nope. Now hurry before Yang bombards us with impatient texts."

"Alright, fine..." she said, grabbing a set of clothes before going to the bathroom, but now before letting out a final,

"_Red Warrior_..."

"Urk-!"

**And that's about it!**

**Ruben: Seriously?! You create a Kamen Rider AU, and there's barely any fight scenes?!**

**Hey, I'm just writing this as I go along, get off my case!**

**Ruben: Don't give me that!**

**Rubes_, relax._ That's for next chapter.**

**Ruben: You better.**

**GaeaChronos is out. Peace!**


	4. chapter 4

**Hey, guys, GaeaChronos here, and I present to you the latest chapter of Kamen Rider Garnet!**

**Not really anything to say, so let's just get on with it!**

**Chapter 4**

"Mmm, this stuff is awesome!" Ruben shouted, before being shushed by his teammates.

The team was currently eating at a newly-opened cafe in Vale. It was Yang and Blake's idea, since Jaune told them about it, and the fiery blonde got curious, so she invited the team to check it out.

The young leader was currently munching on a plate of brownies, and he freaked out after his first bite, causing him to get shushed.

They were eating in relative peace, but Ruben was getting crumbs all over himself.

"Honestly," Weiss muttered "you need to learn a bit of restraint, Ruben. You're getting crumbs all over yourself." She reached out, handing him a napkin.

"Oh." he realized after looking down at himself. He thanked her and took the napkin, and began cleaning himself.

"Ok, this is getting _really_ weird." Yang declared.

"What is?" her brother asked.

"When'd you two get so close?"

The red and white duo looked at each other, then back to their teammates.

"Did we?" Ruben asked.

"Literally since day one, Weiss didn't even want to be near you, and now she's doting on you like she's your girlfriend or something."

"We're not dating." they answered back with a deadpan tone. They were constantly getting teased about it all day that they were getting sick of it.

"Well... we're just worried, that's all."

"Don't worry, Sis. Everything's fine, really."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. I'll trust you on that..."

While the two siblings were speaking, the heiress was caught in a wave of guilt from Yang's words after remembering something important.

I... never apologized, she realized.

Weiss was then snapped out of her musings by her partner snapping his fingers in front of her.

"You okay, Weiss? You've been spacing out for a bit there."

"... I'm fine. Just thinking about something."

Ruben looked unconvinced, but didn't prod any further.

The team continued their meal, shared a few stories, and left once they were finished.

"So, you guys got anywhere else to go?" the blonde asked as they walked, hands rested behind her head.

"Nowhere in particular." her partner answered.

"Same here." Weiss answered.

"Ditto." came the answer from Ruben.

And with that, the team returned to Beacon. During the ride back, Ruben was scrolling through a bunch of random webpages, and stopped at an article about 'Kamen Riders', armored heroes who continuously saved the world for generations.

The article drew him in, as it showed the different Kamen Riders from generation to generation, and each of their unique powers, which ranged from amazing, like dimensional or time travel, to downright ridiculous, one particular Kamen Rider fought illnesses with the power of video games!

That's when he realized the one thing most of them had in common: they drew their power from belts, or devices that could be mounted on belts.

Hey, _I_ transform using a belt! he thought. Maybe...

The walk back to the dorm was pretty uneventful, save for Weiss practically barricading Ruben from the vending machines. That was something the other members were curious to know about.

Once they were back at the dorm, Ruben went to his bed to do his homework. After about two hours, he put his textbooks away, and made his way to the door, saying:

"Hey, guys, I forgot to pick something up back at Vale, I'm just gonna head out a bit!" and with that, he exited the dorm.

Weiss, remembering his words earlier about going on patrol, followed after him.

As he sat in the Bullhead, the young leader looked at his scroll, learning more about the Kamen Riders as he read. Apparently, they have been around even before Dust, before Grimm!

But then, what _did_ they fight? he thought.

Saving that question for later, he found what he was looking for: names.

This was quite an interesting read for Ruben, as he got to know every single Rider, their name, and why they were called that.

Sometimes, it would pertain to their abilities. For others, it was a title passed on. And for some, it had something to do with their history or their profession.

This is what I need! he thought.

Maybe I could choose a name that has something to do with my profession? No, that would be a bit too on the nose.

What about a title? No, that's... I don't know enough about this belt...

Ability? No...

Name, name...

Wait... Name...

My Mom named me after her favorite stone, the ruby, but that doesn't have a nice ring to it. A red stone...

"I got it!" he screamed.

"Got _what_?" a voice asked behind him.

Startled, he turned to the source of the voice, finding his partner looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't do that! And it's none of your business!"

Satisfied with his reaction, Weiss moved to the empty seat next to him.

"Why'd you follow me?"

"You're going on patrol, right?"

"Uh, no. I need to pick something up in Vale." he showed her a conversation he had with a weapon shop on his scroll.

"A new scope?"

"Yeah. The Unique last night cracked my old one pretty badly, so I needed to get replaced."

"The Unique broke it? I didn't see that."

"Oh. That was when I grabbed it away from you. It tried to swipe at me, so I ducked, but it managed to snag my scope and crack it."

Great. Another thing to add to the things I owe him, she thought.

The two partners made their way to the weapon shop, and Weiss watched as Ruben picked up his order.

They were both walking back to the docks when Ruben froze in his tracks.

"Ruben? What's wrong?"

Without answering, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Aura Driver, which was vibrating like crazy.

"Is it a Unique?"

"Hold this." he said, thrusting the paper bag into Weiss' hands. He then proceeded to put the Aura Driver on.

**'Aura Driver...'**

"Henshin!" he exclaimed, hitting the switch, opening the belt up.

**'Aura Charge...'**

In a burst of silver light, Ruben transformed into the familiar crimson armor.

**'Mighty Burst!'**

He then hit the switch twice.

**'Semblance Charge...!"**

All of a sudden, the armor around him began to shift around, changing into a sleeker form, with large vents on his back, shoulders, and legs.

**'Accel Burst!'**

The vents began to hum as he readied himself to jump. Then he jumped, the vents acting like thrusters as they propelled him through the air, launching him back into the city.

Meanwhile Weiss just stood awkwardly in the middle of the sidewalk dumbfounded.

What was _that_?! she thought as she shook her head and followed after him.

**-LINE BREAK-**

Ruben practically flew through the city as he leapt from roof to roof, following the coordinates his helmet was giving.

Come on, I better not be too late...! he thought desperately as he rushed to the shop, 'From Dust Till Dawn'.

**-LINE BREAK-**

Neo was _not_ having a good day.

This was supposed to be just an everyday robbery, no mess, no fuss, just grab the Dust, and move, maybe snag some ice cream on the way back. But, _no_, Roman's little friend just_ had _to send out one of her weird Grimm to stir up some trouble downtown.

The stupid thing tried to attack her! Well, it's _still_ trying, but this is getting annoying! It shouldn't even attack her in the first place, yet here it is swiping away at her.

To make it worse, it was swiping at her too fast for her to make a quick escape, so she's stuck blocking and dodging. To be fair, Roman taught her how to deal with them, but the dumb animal just wouldn't let up. Not to mention, the stupid lady in the red dress strictly told her, "not to harn any of them, if she knows what's good for her", so she has no choice but to escape. (Easier said than done)

Luckily for her, her distraction would come in a matter of seconds.

**"LOOK OUT!!!!"** a voice cried from above, causing both Neo and the Unique to look up.

Upon seeing the armored newcomer, Neo used the momentary surprise to back off, allowing the Unique to get hit in the chest by the armored person's knee with an audible crunch.

Neo flinched. That knee clearly had a _lot _of momentum behind it. The Unique writhed a bit on the ground before slowly rising back up, clearly dazed.

"You okay?" the stranger asked, to which the criminal nodded. She could escape later. For now, she could observe this weird character and relay some possibly important information to Roman.

Meanwhile, Ruben looked at the dazed Unique.

An Ursa this time, huh? he thought as he readied himself.

The Ursa Unique, once regaining its bearings, roared out in anger, and charged at Ruben.

However, he was prepared. he dodged to the right just at the right moment, and turned on the thruster on his right leg, hitting the Unique with a spinning kick right at the small of its back, sending it tumbling forward.

Ruben landed, kept his eyes on the Unique as it stood back up, and turned to him. This time, it tore off a nearby lamppost, and swung at him, using it like a club.

The young team leader could duck under each swing with relative ease, but the girl the Unique attacked was still close by, so he can't keep dodging, or else she'll get hit too.

Then, as if it couldn't get any more difficult, the next swing could clearly hit the girl if he didn't stop it.

"Look out!" he cried, blocking the lamppost with his arms, activating the thrusters on his back and legs.

Neo used this to get to a safe distance, still continuing to observe.

Ruben, upon seeing her move out of the way, disengaged his thrust, and ducked under the swing. The sudden forward momentum caught the Unique off guard, causing it to stumble.

Ruben stood back up, and charged towards it with another knee to the chest, sending it flying. While it was still in the air, Ruben hit the switch on the Driver.

**'Finishing Strike...!'**

He then leapt forward, rolling mid-air into a kicking position, his right foot charging with energy, and his thrusters launched him towards the Unique.

**'Aura Burst!!!'**

His foot made contact, and the Unique exploded with a dying scream.

Ruben landed, dusted his thigh, looked at his map to see if there are any other Uniques around town,and walked back to the girl.

"Hey, you okay back there? Nothing grazed you, right?"

Neo shook her head.

"Whew, I'm glad. But you should get going. Kids like you shouldn't be out this late without parents-"

An audible 'THUD!' could be heard as Neo sent a foot up his crotch so hard, it sent him a couple inches off the ground.

With a huff, she left the crumbled mess of a person on the sidewalk and stomped off.

This was the state Weiss Schnee found her partner in minutes later. Untransformed, lying on the sidewalk, hands on his crotch, and twitching in agony.

"Do I need to know what happened here?" she asked.

"J-Just get me some ice." he managed to squeak out.

**-LINE BREAK-**

"Oh, really now?" Roman asked, reading what Neo typed on her scroll.

"Cinder's gonna want to hear about this."

**And that's about it! Will we find out more about the Uniques? How will Cinder react to Ruben killing off the Uniques? WILL RUBEN GET HIS ICE?!** **Well, we'll know in the future.**

**Ruben: *Still squeaking* Are you kidding me?!**

**Haha, sorry, Rubes, you brought that on yourself.**

**Ruben: _You_ wrote that!!**

**Anyways, not sure when the next one will be out, I got hired for some important stuff here at my town, so I might not be able to write for a bit.**

**Ruben: Don't ignore me, that freaking hurt!!!**

**GaeaChronos is out. Peace!**


	5. chapter 5

**Hey, guys, GaeaChronos here with chapter 5 of Kamen Rider Garnet!**

**Don't really have anything to say, so let's just get on with it!**

**Chapter 5**

Something was up with Ruben. Weiss could tell.

She noticed during one of their team sparring sessions. He seemed to be struggling with wielding Crescent Rose. His swings appeared strained, and there was a delay in his movements. It was just slight, but she's watched him fight so much that she could notice the drop in his performance.

Whether Yang or Blake noticed, they didn't acknowledge it.

He is probably just exhausted, she thought. He _has_ been going home much later the past couple days, so it must be finally catching up to him.

She decided to leave it be for now, thinking that he just needs some rest.

However, when she noticed him having trouble raising his arms in class, she knew she had to confront him about it.

She didn't want to get Yang or Blake involved, so she decided to ask him after class, when Ruben was alone in the dorm.

She walked into the dorm to find Ruben studying. Or, trying to, at least. He seemed to flinch or quietly hiss in pain every time his arms were to move, resulting in him very slowly move his arms to reach for something on the table. He was so focused on carefully moving his arms that he didn't notice his partner come in or walk up to him.

"Ruben? Is something wrong?" she asked, startling him.

"Oh, Weiss! I, uhh, didn't see you th- **ARGH!!**" He turned around to face the heiress, accidentally hitting his arm on the table.

"Ruben!" she cried out, approaching her partner, curling up in pain and nursing his arm.

"No, no! It's fi- **OW!!!**" he tried to reassure her, holding his arm out, causing him to flinch in pain again.

Weiss watched as her partner curled up again, face scrunched up in pain.

"What is it?" she asked.

"N... Nothing! J-Just a bit sore, is all!" he tried to reassure her.

Without warning, Weiss grabbed Ruben's arm, taking care to not hurt him, and rolled up his sleeve.

Her eyes widened at the state his arms were in.

There were large bruises on both his forearms, and judging by the color, they were pretty bad.

She was sure this is more than just simple bruises, as he could barely raise his arms without pain.

"Take it off." she commanded.

"Wh-What...?" he looked up, confused.

"Your uniform. I need to see the rest of your arms."

"Weiss, you really don't have to. It's just-"

"**Ruben.**" she said with a tone of finality.

Sighing, Ruben began to take off his hoodie, but it was obviously difficult for him with the condition his arms were in. Stretching and reaching around was definitely out of the question with all his flinching.

Weiss sighed, and reached out to help him.

"Does Yang know about this?"

"Sh-She saw my arms when I was changing this morning. She asked about it, I told her it was nothing, and she just helped me get changed. She didn't prod any further."

"That's unusual of her."

"Yeah, I thought that too, but she didn't ask about it all day. I wonder what she thought..."

**-LINE BREAK-**

Cardin Winchester hit his locker with a pained "Oof!". He slowly stood up, looking in fear at the golden flame of anger and vengeance in front of him, glaring at him with its furious, red eyes.

"So, you think you could mess with my Bro and get away with it, huh, Winchester?" the golden beast asked, cracking its knuckles.

"Wh-What?! I don't know what you're talking-"

**_SMACK!!!_**

**-LINE BREAK****-**

"We'll have to worry about her later." Weiss said. "Where did you even get these, anyway?"

"Well, remember when you found me twitching on the sidewalk?"

The heiress slightly snorted.

"How could I forget your squeaky voice that time?"

"Well, the Unique I fought that night tried to attack a civilian with a lamppost, so I jumped in to protect them with my arms. Apparently it must've been too much because I started having these bruises shortly after."

"Doesn't the Driver provide you with protection, though?"

"It does, but the form I took that night prioritizes speed and agility, so I had to lose a bit of armor."

"Why _did_ you use that form?" she asked as she took off what remains of his top, and saw a couple more bruises at his upper arms. They weren't as bad as his forearms, but they could definitely cause some discomfort when moving. "Isn't your Semblance speed? Why didn't you just use it while using the other, more durable form?"

"Weiss... I can't use my Semblance when transformed."

Weiss froze.

"... What...?"

Ruben tried to shrug, but ended up flinching again.

"The Aura Driver sort of blocks access to my Semblance, so I have to switch to that form if I need to get somewhere fast."

"That doesn't seem like a fair trade." she commented, looking at his shoulders. She knew a sore and stiff shoulder if she ever saw one. She's pushed her limits back at home more than enough to know if someone over exerted themselves. Looks like the constant battles every night have really caught up with him.

She looked around, and remembered about the first aid kit in their bathroom. She walked off, took it out, and walked back to her partner.

"This isn't going to be much, but it should help with the pain." she said as she began to treat his arms and shoulders. "Can't have the 'Red Warrior' collapse in pain while protecting the innocents now, can we?"

"... Garnet."

"What?" she asked, confused.

"That's the name I chose for myself. From now on, I'm Kamen Rider Garnet!" he said, determination clear on his face.

Weiss looked at him for a few seconds, then giggled, then broke out into full-blown laughter.

"What? What's so funny?!" he asked, clearly embarassed.

"'Kamen Rider?!' That's an old Sunday morning children's show!!!"

"Eeeehh?!" skeptical, he grabbed his scroll, and looked at the website he saw, and sure enough, the website was an archive of the franchise, containing all the seasons.

He facepalmed. "Why... didn't I... see that...?"

"Wait." he looked at his partner. "How do _you_ know about that?"

She looked away. "None of your business."

"Do you... watch that stuff?"

Before Weiss could retort, Blake opened the door.

"Guys!" she exclaimed. She looked at Ruben's body for a second, shook her head, then continued. "I'll ask about that later. Anyway, Yang's in trouble!"

"What?!" the whiterose duo screamed, standing up. Well, Ruben _tried_ to, but ended up falling back to his seat in pain. The heiress helped him up.

"Legs too?" Weiss asked.

"L-Legs too."

"Anyway, what's this about Yang in trouble?"

"It happened so fast." Blake said. "One minute, we were walking down the hall, then the next minute she was beating CRDL faces in! It was so sudden, by the time I got I could process what was happening, Goodwitch asked them to come to Ozpin's office."

Ruben and Weiss looked at each other.

"Oh, God. _That's _what she thought." both said in unison.

"Come on. Ozpin's waiting." Blake said, carefully putting her leader's shirt back on, and helped him alongside Weiss.

"I-I can walk." he squeaked out, clearly not comfortable with his situation.

"You sure?" the black-haired teammate asked.

"Yeah, just a bit slower, but I'll manage." he reassured, and even walked a few steps to prove his point.

"Alright..."

And so, the team went on their way to Ozpin's office.

**And that's about it! GaeaChronos is out. Peace!**


	6. chapter 6

**Hey, guys, GaeaChronos here with the latest chapter of Kamen Rider Garnet!**

**So, some things happened. Mainly, had to quit my job because of health reasons, and that I twisted my ankle on the way to our local laundromat. So, other than the fact that my leg hurts like hell, I'm stuck indoors while it recovers :P.**

**So, I've been entertaining myself with NDS games, particularly the Endless Frontier series, and let me just say, I think I found my favorite SRW game. Wish I could find an english patch though. I'm in the middle of Endless Frontier Exceed right now, and I just got the Nacht, which I set to Axel. Because of that, I don't know where to set the Abend as an assist. I thought KOS-MOS, but M.O.M.O. works so well as an assist for her (and that she's just too precious)****, so I ended up setting it to Xiaomu, and boy was I caught off guard by what she says when she calls it ("Parmesan Launcher!!!" for context, the Abend's gun is called the Partisan Launcher, based off of the Weissritter's Oxtongue Rifle).**

**Also, finally got a system in how I release chapters. If I get this right, Kamen Rider Garnet goes first, then SRW: Remnant, then Digimon Helix. I'll also occasionally upload some RWBY Randomness.**

**And with that said, on with the chapter!**

**Chapter 5**

The three members of RWBY were on their way to Ozpin's office in a hurry. Well, as much of a hurry as they can go, given their leader's current state.

They were almost there when Ruben tripped and nearly fell to the ground. Luckily, he was able to catch himself on time.

Looking back, the black and white duo walked up to check on him. It was clear that he was exhausted.

They both offered him a hand, but he declined. But they both insisted.

When it was clear they weren't gonna budge, Ruben relented, albeit reluctantly.

They assisted him on the rest of the way to Ozpin's office, earning a few concerned stares.

"Guys, you really don't have to." he reassured. "I can walk. It's not that far, you know."

"Ruben, this is just to be safe." Blake said. "Your body is hurt all over. I don't know how, but I'll wait for you to explain when we get there."

"Weiss, talk some sense into her." he turned to his partner. "I just tripped on a rock earlier, I swear. That happens a lot!"

"Ruben, we were walking down a corridor when you tripped." Weiss deadpanned. "You're _exhausted_. It's clear with your arms."

"But just because I can't raise my arms doesn't mean I can't walk!" he whined.

"And we want to make sure you can _still_ walk when we get there."

"Ruben? Is that you? What happened?" a voice asked down the hall.

The three turned to find JNPR approaching them with concerned looks on their faces.

"Just my luck." the young leader muttered.

**-LINE BREAK-**

CRDL was terrified.

They were on their way to the gym for some sparring when they were attacked by a furious Yang Xiao Long. They barely had time to react before the blonde beat the living daylights out of them. Cardin swore he was on the verge of passing out when Glynda separated them. Never before has Cardin been thankful that a teacher broke up a fight involving him.

Right now, they were currently in Ozpins office, sitting quietly. The four were afraid to make a peep, as that might set Yang off. The angry blonde's eyes were still a deep, bloody red, her arms crossed as she glared at them.

Behind them was Glynda Goodwitch, her arms also crossed similarly, but her expression stone cold as she watched the students. Her riding crop in hand as she tapped her foot, waiting.

After she had broken the fight, she had asked for statements from both sides, and then lifted them all to Ozpin's office, where she demanded them to take a seat away from each other when she asked Blake to go get her teammates.

As for the headmaster, he was calmly sitting at his desk, reading a newspaper and taking the occasional sip from his seemingly ever present mug.

"It sure is taking Ms. Belladonna quite a while to fetch her leader." Ozpin wondered out loud.

"That's because he can barely dress himself due to his arms!" Yang cried out furiously, intensifying her glare at the team.

"L-Look, we_ really_ don't know what you're talking about! Honest!" Cardin stuttered out, fearing for his life.

"Don't lie!! You beat his arms so bad he can't even raise them!"

"Miss Xiao Long, calm yourself." Ozpin said. His tone was calm, but it carried a weight that was enough to not only silence the furious blonde, but also to get her eyes to change back to their usual lilac color.

"Good. Now, let us just wait for your teammates to arrive. Coffee?" he offered to his students, his demeanor completely different from when he silenced her.

"Um, I don't drink coffee. No thanks." Yang awkwardly declined.

"Hmm. Don't know what you're missing." he muttered as he offered CRDL, who accepted the beverage.

Cardin was just about to take a sip when the elevator door opened, revealing a haphazardly dressed Ruben Rose being helped by his teammates out of the elevator.

"Whoa. Rubes, what happened?! Did they get your legs too?!" Yang angrily exclaimed, standing up.

"Yang, calm down. He just tripped on the way here." Weiss assured. The fiery blonde turned to her partner, who nodded.

"Dude, what happened to you?!" Cardin exclaimed upon seeing the state the young leader's arms were in.

Before Yang could get something out, Ruben spoke up.

"Yang, before you say anything, I wanna take a seat. My legs are killing me."

With that, the blonde's attention was shifted to her brother, who she helped sit down.

"Now that Mr. Rose is here," Ozpin started, clapping once to get everyone's attention. "Could you please shed some light on our little situation here?"

"Yes, Professor." he nodded. "First of all, I can assure you all that these guys are innocent. In fact, they haven't bothered me for the last couple days. I haven't even run into them once today."

"Wait. So they _didn't _do it?" Yang asked nervously. H'ooooh, boy, she's in trouble.

"No, we _didn't_!" Cardin said.

"We're _bullies_, not _monsters_!" Russell added.

"Besides, we already got our quota of bullying from him!" Dove also added.

"Quota?" Ozpin asked, curious.

"We have, like, a system when it comes to bullying." the leader answered. "There are schedules in which we know who we can bully, and when we can bully them, and we only do, like, fifteen minutes every person for an hour a week. We already spent our one hour teasing him the other day."

"That's... surprisingly organized." Ruben commented.

"And also, we make sure to never go too far, just teasing here, a bit of a nudge there, you know, light bullying. We never do anything too extreme."

"Why do you do it?" Glynda asked, baffled about the absurdity of the whole situation.

Cardin looked away, embarassed.

"Professor Peach caught us messing with an upperclassman, and decided that this is our punishment. She watches our every movement, and keeps decreasing our minutes. If we go beyond the time limit, we'll get suspended."

The stern blonde nodded.

"Peach _does_ have... unusual ways of dealing with students. Very well, we'll just let Professor Peach take care of you four. You may go."

And with that, CRDL left, but not without receiving an apology from Ruben for his sister. They just nodded as they left.

"And, as for Miss Xiao Long..." Glynda trailed off, making Yang wince.

"I'll take responsibility for it." The young leader cut in.

"Rubes...?!" The older sibling said, caught off guard.

"Mr. Rose, I understand that you want to protect your sister from being reprimanded, but this-"

"With all due respect, Miss Goodwitch, I don't plan to let Yang get off scot free. I'll just explain what had happened to clear up the misunderstanding, since it's kinda my fault."

"Your fault?" Yang asked.

"You see, I was attacked the other day by a strange Grimm. I actually managed to get away, but it turned its attention on a civilian, most likely a child that got separated from her parents..."

**-LINE BREAK-**

Neo suddenly felt a chill down her spine. She doesn't know why, but she feels like she wants to give that strange armored hero an _even harder_ kick in the groin whe they meet again...

**-LINE BREAK-**

"... so I jumped in the way of the lamppost it turned into a makeshift club, blocking it with my arms, which of course put strain on them, and my legs.

I didn't even notice them starting to bruise until I got back here."

"Why didn't you tell me? I beat up a bunch of guys because of that."

"I _could've_, but I realized that you'll go looking for the Grimm if I told you what did this to me. Besides, there's no use looking for it if it's already dead."

"You killed the Grimm?" Ozpin asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, no. I was saved."

"By the _'Red Warrior'_?" Weiss cut in, making Ruben's eye twitch in annoyance.

"Y-Yeah, by him. Apparently, he doesn't like being called that name. He prefers to be called 'Kamen Rider Garnet'."

Suddenly, they all turned to a strange noise. It was coming from Weiss Schnee as she kept her head down, covering her mouth with one hand, the other on her stomach, and she was shaking and twitching uncontrollably.

She kept her head down to hide her poorly-restrained laughter from everyone else in the room. Her face was twisted in a wide grin as she clasped a hand over her mouth.

"Miss Schnee? Is something wrong?" the concerned headmaster asked.

"Yeah. You having a stroke or something?" her partner added, irritation slightly lacing his tone, which made it harder to hold it in.

"I-I'm fi-fine! I-I just *cough* my th-throat ju-just *cough* felt a bi-it scratchy!" she said, trying to hide her laughter behind fake coughing.

"I see. would you like some water, then?" Glynda asked, offering her a glass.

"Th-Thank you." she accepted the glass and drank.

"You were saying, Mr. Rose?" Ozpin asked, signalling Ruben to continue.

"Oh, um, right. Basically, Garnet saved us from a pretty bad hit, and he killed the Grimm that attacked me. The guy was a lifesaver, since I didn't have my weapon with me at the time."

"I see. And this 'Garnet' is the same character that's all over the internet, is that correct?"

"Yes, Professor. From what I can tell."

"Hmm... Very well. This clears up the misunderstanding. Now, Team RWBY, I would like a moment with your leader. Would you kindly wait for him downstairs? I promise we will not take long."

The three members looked at each other, before reluctantly leaving.

Once the other members of RWBY had left, Ozpin spoke up.

"You overdid it, Mr. Rose."

Ruben sighed.

"I know."

"You know that, in your current state, we cannot allow you to go on patrol for the rest of the week as you recover, right?"

"... I know."

"Now, we have already contacted your uncle, so he will be the one to go in your place, alright?"

"... Sure."

"Now, unless there is an emergency, you are not to wear the Aura Driver, but you must always have it with you, understand."

"Don't worry, Professor. I _never_ forget to bring it with me."

"Good. Now, I hope this served as a lesson for you as to why your safety is also priority."

He sighed again.

"Yes, professor. I learned my lesson." Why was he sure he'd get the same lecture from Weiss?

"Alright. Now that that's out of the way, have you thought of a way to punish your sister for attacking a fellow student?"

Ruben smiled.

**-LINE BREAK-**

The rest of RWBY were currently waiting by the elevator for their leader when Yang received a notification on her scroll. Upon opening it, she saw it was an update on her schedule. Once she saw the update, her eyes widened.

Her skin paled.

Her lip began to shiver.

And she fell to her knees.

She looked up to the ceiling, cursing every deity in existence for having forsaken her.

Yang Xiao Long is to have an extra two hours a day of detention.

With Professor Port.

Alone in a classroom.

For a month.

**-LINE BREAK-**

"I see." a woman with blazing, golden eyes and long, black hair said as she ended her call with her companion on her scroll.

"Well, it looks like our little mute has obtained some valuable information." she said to no one in particular, pulling a small object from her pocket.

"We may have to use this sooner than expected, even if incomplete." she held the object out in front of her. It resembled a large plant seed, but it was a deep red and almost translucent in color. She smiled as the light almost went through the seed, almost making it look like it's lit.

"Oh, this will be fun."

**And that's about it! I honestly don't know what came over me when I wrote the CRDL bit, but I thought "Screw it, they needed a reason to not do it, no matter how BS" and that's how that came to be. It was supposed to be a chapter for RWBY Randomness, but I decided otherwise. Well, I guess I'll see you guys in the next chapter of SRW: Remnant, whenever that comes out!**

**Also, Rider Time Shinobi should've been longer. It was way too enjoyable to only be 3 episodes. I wanted at least 12.**

**GaeaChronos is out. Peace!**


	7. Pray for Kyoani

Hey, guys GaeaChronos here. No new chapter, just want to express my grief for the disaster that befell Kyoto Animation's studio. The studio was burned down by an act of arson yesterday. According to the articles I've read, over 30 people have been confirmed dead, and even more have been injured. Fortunately, the perpetrator is already under custody, and the fire has already been put out, so further damage has been prevented. However, apparently it was their storage that burned down. This could result in _years_ of hard work gone to waste. My deepest condolences go to the families of those who have lost their lives in this tragedy. I pray that KyoAni's staff may recover from this. Life is short, and it really pains me to see someone willingly cut others short, no matter the reason. There are very talented minds working at KyoAni, responsible for works such as K-On!, Hyouka, Violet Evergarden, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, and many more.

Let us reach out and help KyoAni in this tough time. From what I heard, Sentai Filmworks has already started a Gofundme to help KyoAni, but the best way is to purchase from their website so that it may directly reach them.

GaeaChronos is out.

Pray for KyoAni!


	8. chapter 7

**Hey, guys , GaeaChronos here. Hit a wall in terms of leveling in SAO, I am _ridiculously _underleveled at the 9F, so I'll do what I haven't done in a while: level grinding. So I got bored and decided to write some more.**

**This chapter, we'll see something I'll have a lot of trouble describing: Henshin poses. So bear with me, and let's get on with the chapter!**

**Chapter 7**

Ruben was currently standing in front of a mirror, his scroll on the table right where he can easily see the screen. On said screen was a video of what appeared to be a grown man doing poses.

"Rider... Henshin!!!" he shouted with the deepest, gruffest voice he could muster, imitating what was being shown onscreen.

"TOH!" he jumped in place, arms high up in the air.

He stayed in that position for a couple seconds before dropping his arms.

He shook his head, messing with the scroll, changing it into a different video.

"That's no good. What about this one?" he said as he played a video of a man wearing leather gloves also doing poses.

"Hmm... I wonder, does Yang have gloves like those? Surely she won't mind if I borrow a pair..." he began looking into a drawer, finding his prize with a quiet 'score!'.

He stood in front of the mirror again after putting on the gloves, and clenched his fist, testing if they made the same sound as the video, eyes slightly widening in wonder when they did.

"Alright... let's see, how did it... Ah, right... Hen... shin!!!" he imitated the poses again.

He seemed content, before slowly frowning.

"Eh... not my style." he shrugged, changing the video again.

**\- LINE BREAK -**

Weiss Schnee was currently on her way back to the dorm, and she was not in a good mood. She just _had_ to have the luck of running into Jaune at the library, who immediately had requested her aid in helping him study.

Now to his credit, he retains information pretty well, and he wasn't that difficult to teach, but he kept cutting in ridiculous pick-up lines every whenever he could, and she did her best not to cut his hunting career short right then and there.

Right now, she just wanted to go to bed and rest, even though it's only 4.

As soon as she opens the door, she'll change and immediately-

"AAAAAMAAAAAAZOOOOOOON!!!"

She walked into a weirdly-posed Ruben Rose in front of a mirror.

"..."

"..."

The two partners stared at each other for a moment, before the young leader responded:

"Uhh... I can explain."

"Uh-huh..."

**\- LINE BREAK -**

"So, why were you pushing yourself when we specifically told you to _not_ do anything strenuous?" Weiss asked, seated on her bed with her arms crossed, looking at her partner seated on the chair by the bed.

Ruben flinched at the memory. It had been three days since the incident with CRDL. Once he left Ozpin's office, his partner wasted no time in lecturing him, immediately barraging him with words, some he didn't even know were a thing. When the heiress was done, she walked off to catch her breath for a good three minutes. The only thing Yang could get out was an awkward, "No physical activities until you're better, alright?" due to still processing what Weiss had just said to her brother. Blake just focused on helping him walk back to the dorm.

"Well?" Weiss repeated.

I must've been in that flashback too long, he thought.

"Well..." he started, before cutting himself off, realizing he was just about to tell her he was trying to find a way to pose flashily in front of his opponents who probably won't care.

She already laughed when I got mad over the whole 'Red Warrior' thing, he thought. If I tell her, she'll just laugh in my face again!!! Or worse, another lecture!!! I can _not_ handle anymore verbal lashings this semester!!!

"Ruben?" his partner broke him out of his thoughts.

"A-Ah, right!" he stammered.

Screw it, I'll just tell her.

"I was... posing."

"Posing?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, posing..."

"Does this have to do with your nightly patrols?"

"I guess..."

Weiss looked at the scroll set on the table, and when she saw what her partner was using for a reference, she snorted.

"Really?! _Amazon?!_ You couldn't have picked something more... I don't know... recent?!"

"Well, sorry! I don't know how old these things are!! How should I know that what I picked... was... old... How do you know that?"

"None of your business." Weiss answered, probably a bit too quickly, looking away."

"Hmm..." Ruben leaned forward, intensifying his suspicious stare.

Perhaps he leaned _too_ far forward, as he lost his balance, stumbling forward.

"Wh-Whoa!"

"Ha?!"

Ruben fell off the chair he was sitting on, and stumbled towards Weiss, startling her.

The pair landed on the bed, with Ruben twisting his body to the right in time to avoid Weiss, landing on the space next to her.

"Phew. Sorry about that." he apologized.

"Please get off my bed." she said helping him back up.

How much of a klutz do you have to be to fall off a chair while leaning forward? she thought.

"Anyway," Ruben scratched his cheek "How _do_ you know about these Riders? Did you grow up watching them? I won't judge."

Weiss looked at him, finding a soft smile on his face, one that Klein would sometimes show to get her to open up.

She sighed.

"I guess... you could call me a fan. When I was a child, there really wasn't much in the way of entertainment, especially when living with someone like my father. But, he wasn't always like that. Time to time, he would show me these videos of armored superheroes protecting the innocent from the forces of darkness. I always thought they were amazing. They were part of my inspiration to become a Huntress. To become a 'Hero of Justice', to protect the people.

I know, it's silly, but I was young at the time. I wanted to be like those Kamen Riders, those... heroes. They may be just a show, but the inspiration they gave me was real."

She looked down. This was usually the moment she'd get ridiculed, and Ruben will lord this over her head for the rest of her time at Beacon.

"I don't think it's silly."

She looked at her partner again, wearing the same smile, but he appears to have gained a look in his eyes.

"_My_ inspiration was always those heroes of these stories my Mom would read to me when I was a kid. Whether it was a knight saving a princess from a ferocious dragon, or someone who was destined to save the world from a great evil, I always looked up to them, and even now, I still want to be like them in some way.

Blake did tell me that it was ambitious, and that the world isn't the same as a fairytale. I agree with her.

But that doesn't mean we can't be optimistic. My answer to her that day is still the same: That's why we're here. To make it better.

Weiss, it's okay to admire fictional characters. I haven't watched much Kamen Rider, but I can tell they were meant to inspire and spread a message of hope to others. Your heart's in the right place, I can feel it." he finished, pointing to her heart.

Weiss was speechless. She thought that he can't surprise her anymore now that she knows his secret, but here he was doing that exact thing.

"Ruben... I... I don't know what to say... Thank you, you've made my day _much _better."

"Uhh, I don't really know what I did, but you're welcome."

With a smile, she stood up.

"You said you needed to think of a Henshin Pose, right?"

"Um, yeah? Is that what it's called?" he scratched his cheek.

"Let's see what we can use as reference..." she brought up her scroll, looking up various videos and images.

"What about that one?" Ruben asked, pointing to a Rider designed after what looks like traditional armor used in Mistral, carrying a sword that resembles an orange slice.

"Uh, no." she quickly turned him down.

Although, it _would _be entertaining to watch him pull off that pose, she thought with a little chuckle.

"No good, huh? Hey, how about that one? The guy's wearing a hood, maybe-"

"No. Absolutely not."

"Yikes. _That_ bad, huh? Well, let's keep looking!"

**\- LINE BREAK -**

Yang Xiao Long wants to die.

Quickly and painlessly.

She had just exited Port's classroom after another soul-sucking detention.

Seriously, that guy can run his mouth! she thought. I swear, I lose brain cells every time I enter that classroom! And I'll do this for a whole _month_?!

She sighed, reaching for the doorknob.

I'll just sleep this off. I lost my appetite listening to Port's story of how he wrestled a Beringel naked and covered in tomato sauce.

Just as she was about to turn the knob, two voices caught her attention.

"... Are you sure about this, Weiss?"

"Yes, I'm sure! Now, get into position!"

... Position?

Intrigued, Yang placed her ear on the door.

**\- LINE BREAK -**

Jaune Arc was confused.

He had asked Weiss to help him study for an upcoming test, since she was probably the smartest person he knew. He wanted to ask Pyrrha, but he thought he wanted to ask Weiss first, since she was the first thing that came to mind when it comes to studying.

But, during the study session, she walked out on him, leaving a notebook behind.

Was it something I said? Did I offend her?

On his way to Team RWBY's dorm to return the notebook, he saw Yang with the side of her face pressed against the door.

"Yang...? Are you..."

"Shush!"

Upon closer inspection, the fiery blonde had a flushed, yet horrified, look on her face, and she seemed to be focused on what's behind the door.

Curious, he pressed his ear to the door as well.

"Come on, Ruben! Put your hips into it!"

That was Weiss's voice!

"O-Okay, but should I thrust it like this?"

Was that... Ruben?! Thrust _what_?!

"Yes, but don't force it! You gotta finesse it. Don't wanna break something, now do we?"

Wait. Break _what_?!

There was a soft grunt of effort heard from Ruben l, alongside some rustling of fabric.

"L-Like that?"

"Yes, yes, like that!! _Exactly_ like that!! You're a natural at this!!" she praised.

What is going on in there?!?!

He made a move to open the door, but Yang stopped him.

"Yang, wh-"

"Shh!!"

She had a pained look on her face. As if pleading.

Oh. She doesn't wanna see.

Jaune can relate. He has a couple sisters himself.

"So... like this?" Ruben asked followed by rustling of fabric.

"Yes, yes, just like that!! You're pretty good at this!"

"Thanks, never did it before, though."

Did _what_?!?!

"Now, see if you can try it without my instructions."

"Alright, here goes..."

There was some more rustling, accompanied by Ruben's grunting.

"Like that?"

"Yes! You got it! I'm so proud of you! That was so good!!"

Not wanting to hear anymore, he handed the notebook to Yang and walked back to his dorm to process what he had just heard.

**\- LINE BREAK -**

The fiery blonde watched as Jaune walked off to his dorm, a look of horror (and what looked like heartbreak) on his face.

Wonder what got into him? Yang thought as she listened to what sounded like Weiss helping her Baby Bro become a man.

"So... was that okay?" she heard her brother ask. Even in bed, he's so pure.

"Not bad for a first time." Weiss reassured.

"So... can we go again?"

Wait. Is this gonna be an everyday thing now?! Was Weiss _tha__t _good?!

"Of course."

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!

"After a few sessions, you'll be striking poses as if it was second nature!"

Wait... Poses?

Curiosity finally getting the best of her, she opened the door to reveal a fully clothed Ruben and Weiss (Thank goodness), and what looked like a video of a kids show on a scroll.

"Oh, hey, Yang!" her brother greeted. "Back from Port?"

She just nodded dumbly.

"Um... what were you two doing?" she pointed to the scroll.

**\- LINE BREAK -**

Blake Belladonna is on her way back to Beacon from the bookstore.

She had just started a new series, and the new volume was out this week. She was lucky to get the last one available, but she will go back the next week to try and get another copy to preserve.

So, all in all, today was a good day, and she was in relatively good mood.

So when she saw people running in the opposite direction she was walking, she expected something to ruin her good mood.

What she _didn't _expect, however, was a stranger in black armor bury a Grimm into a wall with a kick.

"Alright. Let's end this before I end up smashing another wall." the armored stranger said, flicking a switch on his belt buckle.

**"Finishing Strike! Aura Burst!!!"**

He then proceeded to land a kick into the Grimm destroying it in an explosion.

"Phew. That takes care of tha..." he said before turning to Blake's direction, and stared.

Both of them just stared at each other for what felt like minutes.

"... I'm guessing you saw all of that?"

Blake nodded.

The armored stranger cursed under his breath.

"I knew I had too much to drink earlier..."

Blake looked down at her watch.

"... Um... it's only four thirty..."

"Seriously? Thought it'd be much earlier..."

Blake didn't know what to say after that.

**Well, that's about it. I'd have posted this sooner, but SAO had a fishing event. I wasn't originally gonna participate, but it made Koharu cry! It actually guilt-tripped me into playing!!!**

**Anyway, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to describe Garnet's Henshin pose properly, so I'll just say it here. It's basically a mirrored version of Kamen Rider Sango's pose. I don't know why, but it's one of my more favorite poses. I'm also sure that I made my dislike for Ghost obvious here. _And_ Gaim's henshin pose, I just don't like it, but I love the show.**

**Also, should have warned that I'll alter Weiss's family a bit here, basically make Jacques a dick, but not too much.**

**Anyway, GaeaChronos is out. Peace!**


	9. chapter 8

**Hey, guys, GaeaChronos here. I cannot apologize even more for the delay in chapters. I originally intended for this to be released around October, but life had to come first. I'm still trying to get my shit together, but I wanna get something out before the end of the year. (UPDATE: I failed :P)**

**Also, IDK what went on with my SAO guild, but apparently I'm promoted to Sub-leader now.**

**Anyways, as per usual, on with the chapter!**

**P.S. Izu is love, and must be protected at all costs.**

**Chapter 8**

Ruben Rose was currently lying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity.

Ugh, just a couple more days, he thought with a grimace.

His bruises have long since healed, thanks to his Aura trying to speed things up. But, he still has not received any approval from Ozpin.

It was strange for the young leader to have some time for himself without being disturbed by an alarm.

Yes, for the first time in his days at Beacon, Ruben Rose was utterly, without a single doubt in the world, _bored_.

"Weiss~" he whined to the person in question, seated by the desk next to the bed below his.

"What?" she asked, looking up from her notes.

"I'm bored!"

"And what do you expect me to do about it?" she raised an eyebrow.

Ruben then stuck his head out the side of his bed, looking down at his partner.

"Entertain me!" he answered with a grin.

Weiss sighed.

"Ruben, I can't right now. I'm studying." she answered back, making the leader slump.

"But I'm bored!!!"

"Then go bother someone else. I don't have time to play."

"I would, but... Yang's kinda got her own thing, I don't really enjoy what she does. Blake is always off on her own reading, and I don't think I can handle Nora's antics, I'm not Ren. And as for Pyrrha, well, I can't say I know her well enough to know what she likes, other than Jaune."

"Speaking of Vomit Boy, why don't you go ask _him?_"

"He's... kinda avoiding me for some reason. Don't know why, though." he tilted his head, confused. The blonde leader had been trying to avoid him for the past few days lately. Ruben didn't know why, and it kind of stung. Jaune was the first real friend he had made since coming to Beacon. He really wanted to know what was bothering him.

"Now that you mention it, he has not been hitting on me for the past few days. Not that I don't appreciate it, but it _is_ strange." Weiss mused, pausing her studying to stretch for a bit, which caught her partner's attention.

"Umm, Weiss? How long were you sitting there?"

"Hm? To be honest, I lost track. What time is it?"

Ruben looked down at his scroll.

"Um, five thirty, why?"

"Ah, then probably around three hours, give or take?"

Ruben' jaw dropped.

"You've been slumped over your notes for three hours?!"

"Yes. Is there a problem?" Weiss didn't understand his reaction. This was routine for her.

"Unbelievable." the young leader suddenly grumbled, coming down from the bed to his partner's side.

"What is it?" the heiress asked, wondering what got into her leader.

"You, Weiss Schnee..." he started, pointing at her. "... are coming with me!"

"... Excuse me?"

"You heard me. As your leader, I command you to come with me."

"Why?"

"We're going to Vale. Get some snacks, do a little window shopping, anything that _isn't studying._"

"Uh, yeah, no, I'm _not_ doing that." she declined, about to turn back to her notes.

"Too bad. I could've sworn they were selling a BeyonDriver at a thrift store somewhere in Vale."

That made Weiss pause.

"... What?"

"Yeah. I was walking around Vale this week, and found they were selling some old Rider stuff at a thrift store Yang and I regularly check out. I never really got interested until I saw some of the shows."

Weiss's attention was now drawn to her partner, but she was trying not to appear interested.

Don't let him trick you, Weiss! her mind exclaimed. He's trying to get you to come with him! This is a trap! Even if Woz is the best thing to come out of Zi-O, he's trying to capitalize on that!

"Oh, well, guess I'll have to go there myself. They _did_ say they'd get some new stuff today. Guess I'll check it out." he shrugged, making a show of turning around, and heading towards the door, slowly reaching for the knob.

And now, we wait, Ruben thought.

Three...

Two...

One...

"W-Wait..." he turned back to Weiss, who refuses to look at him in the eyes.

"... I... guess I could use a break and stretch my legs a little. I'm coming, too. But let's stop by that cafe afterwards."

Ruben just grinned, which deepened her scowl.

**-LINE BREAK-**

"So, you mean to tell me there are types of Grimm that are not only resistant to Dust, but also come in different variations?"

These were the words that came out of Blake Belladonna upon hearing the armored stranger's explanation.

She had the luck of running into him again in an alleyway when she heard a strange sound while passing by.

"... Basically." the stranger shrugged, reaching for a flask on his belt, only to stop when he was about to drink it, as if suddenly remembering he had a helmet on.

"Right. Can't drink with this on."

After putting the flask away, he turned to Blake.

"Is that all you ambushed me for? Cause I really need to get going." he asked. The black-haired member of Team RWBY did not miss the "preferrably to the nearest bar" he grumbled quietly.

"Just one more thing." she said as he was about to leave.

"Alright. Shoot."

"You were fiddling with your belt when you were fighting that... "Unique" the other day. Why is that?"

He sighed.

"Of course that's what you'd ask. This-" he tapped the belt on his waist "-is called an "Aura Driver"..."

**-LINE BREAK-**

"And you thought I made it up!" Ruben declared smugly, both his arms carrying bags of merchandise.

"Sh-Shut up! Given the context, it's only natural for me to think you were leading me on!" Weiss shot back, carrying her own bag.

They were just on their way back from the thrift store. When they arrived to check it out, to say Weiss was surprised was a bit of an understatement. The store not only carried what Ruben was referring to, but carried even more than what she expected.

How did this even get past me? She thought, looking around. That was when she realized this was the part of town she doesn't frequent. It didn't really have any establishments that would normally catch her interest.

"By the way, Weiss," her partner started "you sure it's fine for me to have these? I mean, I could pay for it myself, not that I don't appreciate it, but is it really okay? I'll pay you back some time later."

"Nonsense. Think of it as an apology for what happened to your scope."

"Oh, that? That was nothing. You didn't have to- **OOF!"**

Their conversation was cut off with the young leader bumping into a woman passing by.

"Ruben! Oh, my goodness, Ma'am, we are so sorry- Oh my God, Blake! Come on, Ruben let's help her up!"

Upon recognizing who it was, the pair immediately went to help their teammate up, who was down on the sidewalk from the unexpected impact.

"Guys, it's fine, really. I just didn't expect you to be there when I exited the alley." she assured, getting back up and brushing herself off.

"What _were_ you doing in that alley, anyway?" Ruben asked, picking up some of the merchandise that fell from the bags, his eyes slightly widening in panic when the Aura Driver was among the dropped stuff.

"Oh, I was just throwing a paper cup away. Here let me help." she reached down to help him pick up some of the merchandise.

"You guys went out shopping, or something?" she asked.

"Something like that." Weiss answered, reaching down to help. "Ruben here dragged me out of the dorm for a walk around Vale."

"Hey! You were pretty exc-" he was cut off by Weiss clasping a hand over his mouth.

Blake looked in confusion.

"I just... when he said he was gonna stop at that cafe we went to the other day, I got pretty excited! The food there was pretty good! This one just likes to rub it in that I liked it there!"

"... Right..." Blake then went down to pick up another toy, when she recognized one of them. It was red, with black accents, and looked much newer than the other ones he purchased.

"Oh! Umm, mind handing that here?" Ruben requested, a bit of a stutter in his voice.

"Uhh... Sure." she handed it to her leader, who grabbed it, perhaps a bit too quickly.

"Say, Blake," Ruben started, seemingly desperate to divert his teammate's attention "Wanna come with? We'll get you that milk tea you like!"

"... Okay..?"

What is up with him?

"Cool! Cool, I mean, uhh, cool. Come on, let's go!"

And with that, he marched off, leaving the two girls to catch up.

"Ugh, don't go crashing into other pedestrians, you dolt!" Weiss said, rushing after him.

Blake followed shortly after. That was when she recognized what that red thing was.

It looked like a compacted version of what the armored figure she ran into was wearing.

But why would Ruben have something like... that...

Wait...

His frequent outings at night...

His bruises...

His apparent run-in with a strange Grimm a while back...

No way...

NO WAY!!!

**-LINE BREAK-**

Jaune Arc was walking around Vale, with no real direction to where he was going.

He had told Pyrrha.

He told her the truth.

About his lies, his cheating, everything.

He could see the disappointment in her face as he said it all.

"What am I even doing...?" he sighed out.

Why did he even think of faking his way into a combat school? It was easy to lie in your transcripts, but skills were something else.

He wasn't a world-renowned fighter like Pyrrha, or a scholar like Ruben, nor was he a rich heir to a big-time business like Weiss.

He was just plain old Jaune Arc. No experience, nothing special to his name, heck, he didn't even have his Aura until Pyrrha unlocked it for him.

Pyrrha already did so much for him. Taking him in as her partner, continuing to believe in him, and even offering him a helping hand when dealing with Cardin.

He didn't deserve her as a partner. Not a failure like him.

"I'm sorry, Pyrrha... everyone..." he said. to no one in particular, his voice cracking at the end.

"My, having troubles, are we?" a voice called out to him, drawing his attention.

Turning to the source of the voice, he saw a cloaked figure in an alleyway. Even from a distance, he could actually feel the glowing gaze of their yellow eyes burn into him.

"Wh-Who are you?" Jaune asked, hands ready on his weapon.

"Now, now, no need to be so hot-headed. I'm a friend, Jaune." the figure said with a feminine voice, holding her hands up in surrender.

"How do you know my name?!"

"Oh, I know _all_ about you. Jaune Arc, the boy who faked his way into Beacon, who, despite not having his Aura unlocked yet, passed initiation. The boy who, despite having no combat experience, managed to lead a team into victory against a giant Deathstalker."

"How did you..."

"I have my sources. But I must say, it must have taken quite a bit of courage to pull off such a stunt. I'm impressed."

Jaune looked away.

"It wasn't anything special. Not even courage. I cheated my way in, and now I'm paying for it. I mean, how can I be hero? I'm a lying cheater. I just wanted to be a Huntsman so bad, I even went and faked my way in.

That wasn't courage. I was just being a coward. I was just too scared to accept the truth. That I could never be a Huntsman."

"And yet, here you are. A student at one of the most prestigious combat schools in Remnant. And a leader of your own team, on top of that."

"I just got lucky-"

"Leaders are not chosen out of luck, Jaune. Ozpin must have seen something in you. You're a natural born leader, if Ozpin chose you over someone like Pyrrha Nikos, of all people."

"I..." Jaune did not know what to say. Little by little, this cloaked stranger was convincing him that he made the right choice.

"But, still, a lie is still a lie." he looked down, insistent.

"True, but that just means you're willing to do anything to reach your dream."

"..."

"The end justifies the means, Jaune."

"... But, I'm not good enough."

"Of course, the skill gap is something you need to work on. But that may take a while at the pace you're going..."

"I know, but-"

"That's why I have something that could help with that."

"Are.. Are you offering me drugs..?!"

"... What...? No! What do you think I am?!" the figure said, genuinely offended.

"Well, it makes a lot of sense that you're trying to offer me something illegal with how you're buttering me up, and you're standing in a dark alley in the middle of the night, offering some, admittedly very helpful, but suspicious life advice when I'm right at my lowest point. So... Am I wrong?"

The cloaked figure sighed.

"Look, do you wanna be a hero or not?"

"I don't see what that has to do with-"

"Answer the Goddamn question. **_Yes. Or. No._****_"_** the figure approached, eyes glowing menacingly.

"I-uhm, Yuh-yes...?"

"Was that a question, or a statement?"

"Uhh, a statement. I mean, **_YES!_****_"_**

"Good." the figure then proceeded to thrust an object into Jaune's chest, startling the blonde. The object then began to root itself into Jaune's chest, a violent red glow emanating from the object.

Jaune began to scream in pain as the strange object began contorting his body horrifyingly, as black vines started emerging from the object lodged in his chest enveloping him in a stringy black cocoon.

The figure stepped back, watching the spectacle.

"Oh, this will be good." she smiled, amber eyes glowing with excitement.

**And that's about it! I'm not gonna restrict myself to a stupid schedule anymore, as that only worked out for a short while. So I'll just release chapters when I can.**

**GaeaChronos is out. Peace!**


End file.
